This course is a second year program in biology and is the equivalent of a general biology course taken during the first year of college. The course aims to provide students with the conceptual framework, factual knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to deal critically with the rapidly changing science of biology. The three general areas of study are: molecules and cells; heredity and evolution; and organisms and populations. Throughout the course major themes recur: structure and function, energy transfer, continuity and change, regulation, interdependence in nature, and connections between science, technology, and society. Ultimately, the course will prepare students for the AP Biology examination and will provide the foundation for advanced science and health/medicine studies in college.